The tale of how the giant squid got to Hogwarts
by Pierre
Summary: Young Dumbledore and his friends go on a trip to India after their last year at Hogwarts. Please R
1. Grounded

Disclaimer: This story was created without any intention to violate any copyright. All copyrighted characters and ideas belong to their original authors.  
  
Albus Dumbledore's journey to India  
  
-or the tale of how the giant squid ended up at Hogwarts-  
  
Chapter 1: Grounded  
  
The sun shone brightly upon the fields as lunch approached. Sunny days like this were all Hogwarts' students craved for after a long week.  
  
"Come on! Jump into the lake! The water is great today!" cried out the young red haired girl, beaming.  
  
"Well, it was you who asked me... Don't complain later!" answered the tall, thin and somewhat odd-looking boy.  
  
As he emerged from the depths, after a great somersault from the rock he was standing on, which by the way splashed water all over the girl's face, the boy was taking the hair off his face, so he could see his friend.  
  
His icy blue eyes amazed her. He was quite handsome; even though the slightly crooked nose gave him that odd look everyone talked about.  
  
"Albus! Why do you always do that? You know I don't like having water splashed all over me!" cried his friend, letting out a big laugh afterwards, as she started to throw water at him in revenge.  
  
"If you don't like it Harriett then why do you get into the water in the first place?" asked Albus, once more taking the hair off his face.  
  
"Well... I guess I like the feeling of being on the water. There are other ways of enjoying the lake, you know?"  
  
As Harriett said that a great bell sounded through the school grounds, telling everyone it was time for lunch.  
  
The Great Hall was full of laughter as the happy students retold their morning adventures to their friends who were engaged on their own adventures. They were now very close to the end of classes. "Four more weeks" Harriett Weasley said cheerfully to Albus and their friends "and we're off to travel!"  
  
Harriet, Albus, Edward and Michael had been planning their vacation's excursion to India for nearly five months now. They had already decided where they would stay and which places they would visit.  
  
"I want to see the Thaj Majal!" said Edward happily as Albus shook his head smiling. "It's Taj Mahal Edward... Taj Mahal... If we want to go there without being spotted as wizards we must at least learn the names of the places right."  
  
Almost at the same time Albus stopped talking the whole room fell silent, as the Headmaster, Finneas Nigellus, stood up for a speech.  
  
"Distinguished students of this most noble school. I would like to talk to you about some disciplinary problems that have just come to my attention." said the Headmaster, who wore an emerald green and jet-black robe, embroided with arcane silver runes, and a long and very straight black conical hat.  
  
"It seems that some student still do not understand the importance of the prohibition of wizard-centaur interaction, since I was informed last night by our keeper of the grounds that a group of four students was seen heading towards the Dark Forest and talking to these beasts! This will not be tolerated! As a punishment I have decided that no student will be allowed to leave the castle for any reason, not even to return home before this incident is thoroughly resolved. Owls have already been sent to your homes explaining the nature of this disciplinary measure."  
  
As soon as Nigellus finished this rather short speech the students of all four houses started talking loudly, which made the Headmaster get up again and say in a dry tone "And no more conversation will be allowed during the meals."  
  
Latter that day, at the Gryffindor's common room, Harriett spent almost two and a half hours staring at Albus with a look some people would classify as murderous.  
  
"I just can't believe you did this Albus Dumbledore! Are you INSANE??? This has ruined not only our holidays but also everyone else's." she said in a whisper that could easily be confused with a teapot's whistle.  
  
"If they find out it was you I'm sure you'll be the youngest prisoner ever to be locked in the dungeons of Azkaban! Breaking this record will certainly not be as satisfactory as all those others, I'm sure..." Edward added, bitterly, pointing to a group of small paintings, one of which portrayed Albus and the Headmaster, who was handing him an award for never before achieved marks on all his OWLS. This and all the other paintings' Dumbledores had curious looks on their faces, trying to get at least a bit of the conversation, especially to understand why the girl was pointing at them.  
  
"Well Harriett... You know I don't believe in this 'Centaurs are mindless beasts' story that we are told in our Care of Magical Creatures classes. I had to see them for myself! And I must say that they may be a lot of things, but they are not mindless. If you could only see the spark they have on their eyes! They are very well versed in astrol..." Albus stopped speaking as a fellow Gryffindor entered the room. The lad was a fourth year, two years younger than Albus and his friends, and looked at them trying to understand the reason for the sudden silence in the boy's bedroom.  
  
"Something wrong Albus?" asked the boy. "Angry because of the prohibition too, eh? Don't worry. No one here is going to tell the Headmaster. After all we are not Slytherins." the boy added with a laugh.  
  
"Yes, you're right... We were complaining about the grounding..." said Edward, looking at Albus with his eyes squinted into slits, a subtle yet very effective way of expressing his current thoughts.  
  
"But there is no need to be so angry... I'm sure all will be solved before the end of the term." said Albus in a comforting tone.  
  
"If I can find a way to explain it, that is..." he thought as the fourth year left, looking happier after the school's best student ever reassured him.  
  
It was now two weeks until the end of the term and Albus had yet to find a solution to the problem he had got himself into. He couldn't just walk into the Headmaster's office and blame himself or anyone else, for that matter. To make things even worse, his role as a headboy was now to find out who had done that and report to it Nigellus. He even had daily meetings him since the first Monday after the fateful speech!  
  
It was during the break after his 'creation and use of magical devices' class that the idea dawned on him. He would have to make a magical device that looked like a centaur. Surely that would be a dreadful undertaking, even for a gifted student such as Albus Dumbledore, but the four of them could do it. The problem was: they only had two weeks left and couldn't leave the castle.  
  
"So, you expect us to do this inside the castle, without being caught, in less than two weeks? And have you forgotten that you are the only one here that takes that loony class? You should ask your Ravenclaw friends for help..." said Harriett, her usually white face almost as red as her hair.  
  
"She's right you know?" continued Edward "It can't be done. Besides, what do you expect to use as raw materials? Pumpkins?" he said, laughing along with Harriett and Michael.  
  
"That is indeed a very good idea, Edward my friend!" replied Albus, a bright spark shining through his blue eyes. "We could ask the house elves on the kitchen for some pumpkins. I'm sure that you and Michael are more than qualified to make them steel hard. After all, you are the best transfiguration students of our class, aren't you?" he said with a grin "Though we still have to solve one problem... We don't have a place to work."  
  
"We? WE? You are completely crazy, you know that Albus Dumbledore?" said Harriett with a laugh. "And believe it or not, I'm as crazy as you, since I actually believe we can do it."  
  
"I know one place..." said Michael, almost whispering. He didn't speak much and when he did, it was always with a whispery tone. Some said it was because of the incident involving some rogue Dementors that nearly killed him and his parents a couple of years before he went to Hogwarts.  
  
"Then tell us about it!" said Harriett, shaking Michaels shoulders as if trying to bring him out of a dream, since the boy was staring at the wall instead of talking about the place he knew.  
  
"Well, one time I was really distracted..." he started, again in the whispery tone "walking on a corridor on the... I think it was the fourth, no fifth... or was it the..."  
  
"Get to the point!" said Edward, who was getting impatient.  
  
"Fine. It was definitely the eighth floor. I was walking past a statue when I saw a door I had never seen before. That's not unusual, since I don't pay too much attention to details." Michael continued "I entered the room to see what was in it and to my surprise I found every book I had ever lost inside that place."  
  
"It was almost as big as the library, for sure" said Harriett, holding a laugh. "But what's so special then? Anyone can find us there..."  
  
"Not quite" Michael replied, with an expression of victory on his face. "You see, no one else ever saw that door. For instance, did you know about the place Mr. Albus "Hogwarts: a history" Dumbledore?" he added.  
  
"No I didn't Michael. Which is very interesting... I guess they will have to print a new edition then. That is, after we finish building our clockwork centaur" Albus replied.  
  
On the days that followed the four friends would go to the secret room Michael had told them about at every spare time they had. To their surprise they found the room full of tinkering equipment or, as Albus said when he first saw the place, "A dragon hoard's worth of excitement". They worked hard, even spending their Saturday and Sunday nights awake. It had to be ready before the end of the term, of their trip to India would be lost. 


	2. A clockwork pumpkin

Chapter 2: A clockwork pumpkin  
  
Their final class was just a few hours away and Dumbledore never thought that he would actually want to have had more classes that day. In a few moments they would know if their plan had worked or if they would have to stay in school during the whole holidays, as the headmaster had told them they would.  
  
It would not be all that bad, since he would have more time to study for his N.E.W.T.s, which would take place in the beginning of the next school year. He hadn't yet decided whether he wanted to stay at Hogwarts as a teacher or apply for a job at the Wacky Willie Novelty Workshop, a small workshop that an American wizard had just opened in London, creating magical wonders like the one he had just created.  
  
All those thoughts, as well as the sad look his father would give him if he ever found out that his son had been talking to centaurs, ran through his mind as he stood in front of the headmaster's office, his hand hesitating to knock.  
  
After a few more seconds he made up his mind and knocked.  
  
"Headmaster Nigellus, it is I, Albus Dumbledore. Could I come in, sir?"  
  
"Come in boy. But make it quick! I'm busy..."  
  
Dumbledore opened the door slowly, not wanting to make any noise that could disturb the headmaster.  
  
"Sir, I believe I can explain the incident in the dark forest" he said with a firm voice "though I am sure the explanation will amaze you quite a bit, sir." He added with a smile.  
  
"And what explanation would that be young man? Perhaps the Slytherins who saw the student leaving the castle to talk to the centaur were dreaming, or something like that?"  
  
"No sir. I would never question the word of a fellow student, sir. They saw exactly what they told you. A student talking to a centaur."  
  
"And you explanation to this is..." Nigellus said, looking deeply into Dumbledore's eyes.  
  
"You see sir, it was no one other than myself that the Slytherin students saw heading towards the forest. And I would appreciate if you followed me there now, sir, so I can explain why they think I was talking to a centaur." Dumbledore finished.  
  
The headmaster pondered for a while, examining Dumbledore's defying face. He was the best student Hogwarts had ever had. He was also a headboy, and if he said he could explain everything it would be reasonable to at least listen to him.  
  
"Very well then. Let's go to the forest..." Nigellus finally said, standing up "But I hope you have a very good explanation for this, Mr. Dumbledore!"  
  
Meanwhile, Harriet, Edward and Michael tried to get to the rim of the forest rolling a pumpkin five feet in diameter without drawing too much attention.  
  
It would have been an impossible task on a usual day, but since most students were busy with their final exams, the only great obstacle was getting past the Keeper of the grounds, a dreadfully thin man named Gotfried Janus.  
  
"If he gets us we're doomed!" whined Michael in a thin, whispery voice.  
  
"Come on Michael! This is no time to cry! Be a big boy and help me with the invisibility cloak..." Harriet said in a motherly tone.  
  
"All right" he said, looking on the verge of bursting into tears.  
  
They covered the pumpkin with the cloak, but it didn't solve the problem of having to roll it past Keeper.  
  
"I have an idea" Edward said, smiling and taking his wand from his pocket "Locomotor pumpkin!" He commanded, waving his wand firmly.  
  
The invisible pumpkin then started floating a few inches off the ground. Unless someone looked at it from the ground, it would be impossible to tell that there was a giant pumpkin crossing the school grounds.  
  
"Nice touch Ed!" Michael said, now looking much less frightened.  
  
"A nice touch indeed. Now let's hurry. Albus must be talking to Nigellus at this very moment!" Harriet added, opening the front doors.  
  
They ran as fast as they could, trying to stay near the lake, where it would be most difficult for them to be spotted from the ground keeper's hut. It was precisely when they were on the farthest side of the lake that they suddenly spotted the Keeper's silhouette, walking towards them.  
  
"Stop right there!" Janus shouted with his squeaky voice "You are skipping classes, aren't you?" He asked, closing on them.  
  
"N-n-n-no sir." Michael answered quickly.  
  
"We are just... training!" added Harriet.  
  
"Yes! For the race, this summer! You know Janus, we're planning to have this big competition this summer, since we won't be able to leave school... I'm sure you'll want to join us! It'll be wonderful!" Edward ended.  
  
After that lengthy explanation Janus laughed and patted Edward's back. "Go on then, boys... And don't forget to tell me when to hand in my inscription!" He said, heading to the castle's entrance.  
  
As soon as Janus was far enough not to hear them, they all started laughing nervously.  
  
"Wow! I though this time he had us!" Said Harriet, trying to regain her breath "Thanks Ed... I think we all owe you one now."  
  
"Thanks Harriet, but I don't think we have much time... Look, there's Albus and Nigellus coming out of the castle!" Ed said, pointing to the two figures coming out of the main hall.  
  
The trio looked back to the castle and starter running faster than before. When they finally arrived at the forest's rim they were panting heavily. Harriet and Michael leaned on a tree and Edward threw himself on a patch of especially soft grass.  
  
A few minutes later, when they could at least speak, Dumbledore arrived with the Headmaster. The pumpkin had been uncovered a few moments before their arrival, since school rules forbade having an invisibility cloak.  
  
"I hope you explanation is inside this pumpkin Mr. Dumbledore... And it would better not be pumpkin juice!" Nigellus said, the blood flowing to his face.  
  
"You are right sir. The explanation is precisely inside the pumpkin. Or better yet, it is the pumpkin." Dumbledore said triumphantly, taking his wand from his pocket. "Machanus ignitio!" He said, with a flick of his wand.  
  
Jets of golden light erupted from cracks on the pumpkin's surface. In a moment the Headmaster realized that they were not cracks, but thin lines, where the pieces of an intricate machine came together.  
  
The vegetable then began to unfold and grow, rearranging it's pieces, showing thousands of cogs and coils while doing so. A mechanical sound, like that of many clocks ticking at once, flooded the area. It was not loud, but all present, except Albus, were annoyed by it.  
  
After a couple of minutes the orange pumpkin had become a full sized brass clockwork centaur. Its eyes were made of marble with golden pupils. When examined close enough they would reveal themselves to be a collection of delicate tiny cogs, turning and ticking. It stood there, silent, blinking eventually. It's tail, made of thin metallic strings moved like that of a real horse and its torso moved when it simulated breathing. Finneas Nigellus had to suppress his look of amazement when he noticed all were looking at him and smiling.  
  
"There you are, Headmaster!" Dumbledore said triumphantly "the centaur I was meeting at the forest was nothing more than this beautiful simulacrum I made with the help of my friends. I wanted to keep it a secret until it was complete, so I could present it to the school, but I think I was a bit too careless." He finished with a laugh.  
  
The Headmaster pondered, looking at the four young students and their beautiful contraption. He didn't know whether or not they were telling him the truth, but the fact that they had managed to build such a thing clearly proved that they had impressive magical skills, much greater than those expected from a student, even a 7th year one.  
  
He took a magnifying glass from a pocket in his vests and examined the centaur closely. He then asked for the four wands, and examined them too. After this, he pondered a bit more and finally spoke.  
  
"I am very impressed with what you have built. My inspection leaves no doubt that this work was done using these four wands. I will announce tonight that you are all free to go home, since the mystery has been elucidated." 


End file.
